LEGO The Lord of the Rings

LEGO arrives in Middle Earth

LEGO The Lord of the Rings continues the series of family friendly action puzzle games, after LEGO Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Batman, Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean.

This demo lets you play through 'Helm's Deep', where our heroes in the fortress of Hornburg are under attack from the forces of the Wizard Saruman.

What we expect from a LEGO game is a fun take on the source material, and that is what you get with LEGO The Lord of the Rings. The gameplay is similar to previous games, with simple action and puzzles to work through. The puzzles are better suited to kids, since they can be tedious for adults. The cut scenes are as charming as ever, although in this demo they do stick very closely to the scenes in the LOTR movies. The dark tone of Lord of the Rings isn't a perfect fit for LEGO's humor.

The graphics are excellent, as usual. The scene on the battlements, with the army of orcs spreading out into the distance below is epic to look at, and there is some excellent use of perspective that makes the action even more impressive. Like Batman, LEGO The Lord of the Rings uses voice acting instead of just the noises and expressions that the series started out with. However, the voices are good, and don't detract from the game. It is still the animations and expressions that give LEGO The Lord of the Rings its funniest jokes.

LEGO The Lord of the Rings doesn't look like a major development for the LEGO series, but it's another polished action puzzle game that will amuse adults and children alike.